Thread case kicker mechanisms



23, 1966 J. R. IOANNILLI 3,267,893

THREAD CASE KICKER MECHANISMS Filed May 22. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor: Joseph 7?. [oanmY/z' .5 his flttorne u 9 1966 J. R. IOANNILLI 3, 5 93 THREAD CASE KICKER MECHANISMS Filed May 22. 1963 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 IWWI United States Patent 7 3,267,893 THREAD CASE KICKER MECHANISMS Joseph R. Ioannilli, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass, :1 corporation of New Jersey Filed May 22, 1963, Ser. No. 282,277 Claims. (Cl. 112-54) This invention relates generally to apparatus useful in lock stitch shoe outsole sewing machines and-more particularly to devices employed for advancing the thread case of the machine disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 192,250, filed May 3, 1962, now Patent No. 3,104,634.

In the machine of the above-identified copending application there is included a rotary hook or loop taker which carries loops of needle thread about a thread case held stationary within the loop taker. Instead of employing a pair of reciprocated pins alternately engaging and disengaging notches in the outer edge of the thread case as is now customary to permit the passage of the needle thrread loop, tthe thread case of my copending application is retained against rotation with the loop taker by a nose coupled to the thread case and maintained against a stationary abutment.

In the construction of my copending application the needle loop at the end of its movement about the thread case enters a wedge-shaped passage between the nose and the abutment to wedge the nose away from the abutment thereby to be released completely from the case. This arrangement has been found to be entirely satisfactory when operating at lower speeds but since the force holding the nose against the abutment is increased as the operating speed of the machine is increased certain difficulties have been experienced in the flow of the thread over the thread case and its disengagement at the higher speeds. These difiiculties have been much more serious with twisted threads than with braided threads. The reason for the difficulty is that substrands of twisted threads, particularly when subjected to the higher pressures of high operating speeds, become damaged or broken and this is followed by successive breaking of other substrands with eventual breakage of the thread. When thread breakage occurs thte machine must be stopped and rethreaded before the formation of the seam may be continued.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to improve the free flow of needle thread loops over the thread case of a lock stitch outsole sewing machine operating at high speed.

Another object is to guard against abrasion and other injury to the thread in such machines.

A related object is to minimize changes in thread tension which, under extreme conditions, may affect the accuracy of thread measurement and lead to the formation of defective stitches.

In the achievement of the foregoing objects and in accordance with a feature of the invention, there is provided a thread case advancing device or kicker for moving the nose of the thread case away from its abutment in timed relation to the movement of needle thread loops about the case to permit the free passage of the needle loop between the nose and the abutment The invention is herein illustrated in conjunction with an outsole stitcher in which the stitch forming and Work feeding instrumentalities are all driven from a single shaft. In such machines it is important to minimize the number of individual connections to the single shaft and accordingly an important related feature of the present invention concerns the driving connections for the kicker. In my copending application, an intermediate shaft is gear coupled to the single machine shaft and in turn drives the loop taker through a cogged belt. The drive feature of the "ice present invention relies upon the intermediate shaft to provide driving means for the kicker, and this provides the added advantages of extreme compactness in an area of the machine where space is at a great premium and further minimizes both the number and extent of parts necessary for actuating the kicker.

The objects and features and numerous advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from a description of an illustrative embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view, mostly in section, depicting the construction and drive of a loop taker and thread case and including a kicker, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in section taken along the line II--II of FIG. 1 and illustrating the kicker of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the loop taker and thread case of FIG. 1, with the parts as shown in exploded relationship;

FIG. 4 is a view of the loop taker and thread case as seen from a position to the rear of the thread case;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are progressive detail views showing respectively the action of a kicker as a needle loop prepares to disengage from the thread case and at a slightly later time in the sewing cycle when the loop is completing its disengagement.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, it is seen that the machine, according to the present invention, includes a frame 10 in which is journaled a single main sewing shaft 12 for driving thread manipulating and work feeding devices. Among the conventional machine instrumentalities are included a take-up, a thread measuring device, thread locks, a work support and presser foot which form no part of the present invention and have accordingly not been illustrated. Also driven from the shaft 12 are a curved hook needle 14 and a curved awl 16 which operate in the usual manner, the awl forming a perforation in the Work piece generally in the form of an outsole and a welt and the needle penetrating the Work piece to be threaded and to be retracted while carrying a loop of needle thread. Thereafter the needle thread loop is passed over a thread case 18 containing a supply of locking thread 20 to form a stitch which is set in the body of the work piece.

The shaft 12 carries keyed to it a bevel gear 22 with which is meshed a bevel pinion 24 either integral with or keyed to an intermediate shaft 26. At its other or outer end the shaft 26 carries also keyed to it a pulley 28 for driving a loop taker 30 through a cogged belt 32. The thread case 18 is inside the lop taker mounted on a raceway and free to remain stationary as the loop taker is driven three revolutions during each rotation of the shaft 12 for each sewing cycle. On the outside of the rearward wall of the thread case is mounted a nose 34 also seen in the remaining views which is coupled to the thread case by means of a ball and socket connection including a spring pressed ball 36. By engaging a stationary abutment 38, seen in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the nose 34 prevents the rotation of the thread case as the loop taker is revolved to carry needle thread loops around the case.

In the machine of my above-identified copending application, release of the needle loop is achieved by a wedging action of the thread entering a tapered passage 41 indicated in FIG. 6 and defined between the abutment 38 and the adjacent surface 34 of the nose. As already indicated, this prior arrangement tends to subject the thread to excessive abrasion in moving the nose 34 away from the abutment 38. For this reason the machine, according to the present invention, comprises a kicker mechanism for moving the nose 34 away from the abutment 38 Without assistance from the thread. The kicker mechanism includes a lever 44 pivoted at 46 on an auxiliary housing 48 which is fixedly mounted on the frame and supports the loop taker and its drive.

For actuating the lever 44 in proper time relationshi there is provided an eccentric 50 formed integral with the lower end section 52 of a two-part spacer sleeve also including an upper part 54. In addition to including the eccentric 50, the two-part spacer 52, 54 performs the functionof a single tubular spacer in the machine of my copending application for clamping the inner races of bearings corresponding to a bearing 56 in which the lower end of the shaft 26 is journaled and a similar hearing at the outer end of the shaft. Timing is maintained by a key 58 entering keyways in the shaft 26 and the section 52. Surrounding the eccentric 50 is a yoke 60 formed with a projection having a pivotal connection 62 with the lever 44.

The lever 44 is oscillated by the actuating means already described to push the nose 34 away from the abutment 38, once during each revolution of the loop taker. Since the speed ratio between the shaft 12 and the loop taker is such that the loop taker completes: three revolutions during each revolution of the shaft 12, the loop taker 30 carries a loop of needle thread every third revolution. The motion imparted to the thread case 18 by the lever 44 is on the order of A adequate to permit the free passage of the needle loop between the abutment and the nose 34 but not of sufficient magnitude to interfere with the normal behavior of locking thread.

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to a heavily constructed single shaft outsole sewing machine, it will be appreciated that the invention is also useful in a two-shaft sewing machine or any other heavily constructed hook needle sewing machine in which the thread case is retained by a stationary abutment and in which difficulty is experienced in the passage of the needle loop between the abutment and the thread case.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A lock stitch leather sewing machine comprising a hook needle for penetrating a work piece and withdrawing carrying a loop of needle thread, a thread case containing a supply of locking thread, a nose on the thread case, a rotary loop taker for carrying the loop of needle thread over the thread case to form a stitch, a stationary abutment engaging the nose to retain the thread case against rotation with the loop taker and kicker means for moving the nose away from the abutment in timed relation to the loop taker rotation to permit the free passage of the needle loop between the nose and the abutment.

2. A lock stitch leather sewing machine comprising a hook needle for penetrating a work piece and withdrawing carrying a loop of needle thread, a cup shaped thread case having an end wall near the path of the needle and containing a supply of locking thread, a nose on the outside of the end wall, a rotary loop taker for carrying the loop of needle thread over the thread case to form a stitch, a stationary abutment engaging the nose to retain the thread case against rotation with the loop taker and means including a pivoted lever actuated in timed relation with the loop taker for moving the nose away from the abutrnent to permit the free passage of the needle loop between the nose and the abutment.

3. A lock stitch outsole sewing machine comprising a curved hook needle oscillated about a fixed axis for penetrating a work piece and withdrawing carrying a loop of needle thread, a cup-shaped thread case having an end wall nearest the axis of the needle and containing a supply of locking thread, a nose on the outside of the end wall, a rotary loop taker for carrying the loop of needle thread over the thread case to form a switch, a stationary abutment engaging the nose to retain the thread case against rotation with the loop taker, a housing upon which the loop taker is supported, and means including a lever pivoted on the housing and actuated in timed relation with the loop taker for moving the nose away from the abutment to permit the free passage of the needle loop between the nose and the abutment.

4. A lock stitch outsole sewing machine comprising a frame, a main sewing shaft, a curved hook needle oscillated about a fixed axis by connections to the shaft for penetrating a work piece and withdrawing carrying a loop of needle thread, a cup-shaped thread case having an end wall nearest the axis of the needle and containing a supply of locking thread, a nose on the outside of the end wall, a rotary loop taker for carrying the loop of needle thread over the thread case to form a stitch, a stationary abutment engaging the nose to retain the thread case against rotation with the loop taker, a housing upon which the loop taker is supported, an intermediate shaft journaled in the housing driven from the sewing shaft and in turn driving the loop taker, a lever pivoted on the housing, and actuating means on the intermediate shaft for oscillating the lever in timed relation with the loop taker for moving the nose away from the abutment to permit the free passage of the needle loop between the nose and the abutment.

5. A look stitch outsole sewing machine comprising a frame, a main sewing shaft, a curved hook needle oscillated about a fixed axis for penetrating a work piece and withdrawing carrying a loop of needle thread, a cup-sha ed thread. case having an end wall nearest the axis of the needle and containing a supply of locking thread, a nose on the outside of the end wall, a rotary loop taker for carrying the loop of needle thread over the thread case to form a stitch, a stationary abutment engaging the nose to retain the thread case against rotation with the loop taker, driving connections including an intermediate shaft between the sewing shaft and the loop taker, a lever engaging the nose and actuating means including an eccentric on the intermediate shaft for oscillating the lever in timed relation with the loop taker to move nose away from the abutment thereby to permit the free passage of the needle loop between the nose and the abutment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1959 Kestell et al. 112-28 9/1963 Ioannilli ll228 

1. A LOCK STITCH LEATHER SEWING MACHINE COMPRISING A HOOK NEEDLE FOR PENETRATING A WORK PIECE AND WITHDRAWING CARRYING A LOOP OF NEEDLE THREAD, A THREAD CASE CONTAINING A SUPPLY OF LOCKING THREADED, A NOSE ON THE THREAD CASE, A ROTARY LOOP TAKER FOR CARRYING THE LOOP OF NEEDLE THREAD OVER THE THREAD CASE TO FORM A STITCH, A STATIONARY ABUTMENT ENGAGING THE NOSE TO RETAIN THE THREAD CASE AGAINST ROTATION WITH THE LOOP TAKER AND KICKER MEANS FOR 